Welcome 2012!

Merry Christmas!

...wishing you the happiest of holiday seasons! See you in 2012!

o christmas tree

The tree's up! and just 8 more sleeps til Santa comes!

Deck the Halls!

Oh, I had fun on Sunday afternoon! It was time to begin decking our halls, so I headed to the basement storage closet with a flashlight and a glass of wine! I can't seem to resist vintage ornaments and over the years, I've collected boxes of them in all colors and sizes. Since choosing a color scheme proved more challenging than holiday decorations should be, I decided to go with a rainbow of color and stacked them in these old jars I usually keep in the kitchen. I think they look wonderful all together on this bureau in the living room. Next came my little sparkly silver and white vintage tree... with more vintage ornaments. This sweet little star came from 5gardenias on Etsy. It looks perfect atop a little white wicker table in our dining room, waiting to light the corner at Christmas dinner.

... a couple of gorgeous white poinsettias, a pair of sculptural silver reindeer, a beautiful blue and green 'stained glass' fabric star, a distressed silver metal angel and some glitter trees complete the picture. I can't wait to put up the tree this weekend!

Handmade Holidays~ Gifts for the Gardener

1. Sterling Silver Ring, by PrettyThingsGalore 2. McCoy Scandia Planter, by PineandMain 3. Soap Gift Set, by HerbivoreBotanicals 4. Vintage Lace Up Rubber Boots, by OrangeTruck 5. Lady's Mantle Botancial Art Print, by amberalexander 6. Oxidized Botanical Earrings, by moiraklime 7. Fingerless Gloves, by dirtcouture

Black Friday Cyber Monday Sale at Wild Woman Jewelry

Happy Holidays!

Teardrop Earrings are New at Wild Woman Jewelry

... a treasure trove of jewel-tone wire wrapped earrings for the holiday season-- all silver is sterling that has been oxidized and handpolished to achieve this lovely rustic patina and to create interest and contrast from the sparkling glass teardrops! Earwires are also handcrafted. Enjoy the party season!
...Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends in the US!

Snow Day!

Well... there is something magical about the first snow that speaks to the heart of this northern girl. In the not too distant future, you'll find me shovelling the driveway and swearing about all the snow-- but not today. Today, I'm lovin' it!

The forecast is for 10-20cm and I've cosied right in-- crackling fire, lots of wood, Christmas music playing, candles burning -- I may have my whole winter in one day!

Most years it seems such a rush to prepare for the holidays but we've had such a beautiful fall, there was lots of time to decorate outdoors and clean up the yard- I feel like a satisfied little squirrel that has lots of nuts put away for the winter.

All this snugg-iness even inspires me to bake (not one of my strengths, hehehe, but even I can pull off an apple crumble-- with double crumble, my husband's favorite!). I have two cookbooks (well, I have about 10 but only use 2), one that includes all our favorite recipes from family and friends that I've actually written out and pasted into a notebook-- this one is a treasure! The other is a book we made as a fundraiser at my old school. It is full of tried and true recipes from families and staff and I've never prepared anything from it that isn't absolutely delicious! Here's the recipe I always use - warm apple crumble for dessert tonight - YUM!

Hope your day is cosy as well! xo karon

Handmade Holidays ~ Blue Christmas Gift Guide for Her

1. Sapphire Gemstone Earrings, by JarosDesigns 2. Glitter Blended Blue Fingerless Gloves, by bysweetmom 3. Lapis Lazuli and Sterling Silver Necklace, by moonovermaize 4. Knitted Cowl, by theYarnKitchen 5. Blue Flower Wall Collage - Daisy Delight, by Arthur and Olive 6. Blue Circle Skirt, by AliceCloset

Perfect gifts for a Blue Christmas!

Black and White Christmas on Etsy's Front Page!!!

...so happy to see all these lovelies on Etsy's Front Page last night! congrats everyone :)

Handmade Holidays... Deck the Halls in Red and White

Last Christmas, simple red and white holiday decor made me swoon... and the obsession cntinues this season. Here are a few of my favorites- 1. Personalized Christmas Stocking by NanaMontana 2. Miniature Bird by doudoubirds 3. Believe Sign by CowCountryCreations 4. Silver Snowflake Embroidery Hoop by sometimesiswirl 5. Hanging Plate by owlcreekceramics 6. Wood Reindeer, White Christmas by SlippinSouthern 7. Folk Art Reindeer by RawBoneStudio 8. Red and White Christmas Ornament by LoveMeOrnamentals

Handmade Holidays

"Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas. ~ Peg Bracken
I've made a decision to do as much of my holiday shopping as possible this year supporting handmade and small businesses offering their imaginative and artistic creations. I just think it will mean more. In that spirit, I've been (and will be) creating lots of gift idea treasuries on Etsy and featuring some fabulous items for loved ones on your holiday list, right here as well. And, hopefully, find that 'just right' gift for everyone on my list too! Happy shopping~

Shutterbug ~ Gifts for the Photographer

1. Autumn Tripod Floor Lamp, by MabelDear

2. Littleput Vignet, Smile, by littleputbooks

3. Mini Holiday Gift Tags, Polaroid Series, by createdbylindy

4. Screen Printed Camera Scarf, by Rabbitapparel

5. The Photographer's Ring, by CreaShines

*********

Garden Clean Up!

Have you heard the phrase "Eat the frog first"-- what else could you have to do that would be worse than that? The truth of this makes me laugh-- the energy created by doing the worst thing first and getting it out of the way is amazing! Anyway, I have been procrastinating the garden clean up for weeks and the avoidance of it has really sapped my strength so starting on Saturday, I decided to get to it and finally today, YAYYYYY! it's finished-- all the overgrown dried and dead plants are trimmed back to the ground, every bed raked and 17 wheelbarrows full of leaves and plants have been dumped in the compost pile! It was such a beautiful day (sunny and 16 degrees C) that I also started collecting some fir boughs for the window boxes on the shed and garage...here are some photos of the before and after.

BEFORE and AFTER!
The weather forecast for the rest of the week is lovely so I think we'll try to finish the outdoor holiday decorations before the snow flies... now, which frog will I eat tomorrow?

Bangle Bracelets are NEW!

I've been playing with some bangle bracelet designs recently, looking for ways to personalize some of my jewelry-- for individuals, family and friends. Creating this design was a breakthrough as it will allow me to individualize the focal point of each bracelet, and keep it simple and elegant at the same time... I'm thinking birthstones, hearts, rings, etc. For the moment, I've incorporated these gorgeous hollow glass beads in rich vibrant colors, perfect for the holidays and maybe even gift giving :) These are available in the shop and stay tuned for updates as I develop the line!

Saturday morning...

...this morning dawned lovely and bright. As soon as it warms up a bit, I'm heading outside to FINALLY clean up the garden. I admit, it's not my favorite 'garden chore', but all the cutting back is so much more difficult in the spring when there is new growth that must be carefully protected. Maybe I'll leave the dried hydrangea flowers to catch the snow when it falls-- they grow by the garden shed which looks so cosy in the winter with the flower box filled with pine boughs, twinkly lights and a dusting of white. I think I'll collect some boughs today as a reward for all my work in the garden and maybe take some before and after photos to motivate myself...heheheheehe...yup, it's myself I'm trying to motivate! I'll be back-- enjoy your day! xo

Happy Haunting!

...have fun, be safe and happy Halloween!

...is it too early for Christmas music?

methinks not! I mean, really...what is it about Halloween that makes me want to hear Little Drummer Boy?

...listen

...closely.

Fall Craft Show... and now I need a nap!

The first annual Fredericton Fall Craft Show was held this past weekend and what a show it was! We had a fabulous time-- the mood was relaxed, friendly and cheerful, we had a HUGE crowd (the organizer did a marvelous job of promotion and getting the word 'out there') and the talent was amazing. The Capital Exhibit Center was PACKED with super creative people offering a wonderfully wide range of art and crafted pieces. I was thrilled to have a corner booth (complete with electricity) in a very high traffic spot-- practically right next to the little onsite restaurant (which, by the way, made delicious homemade food :) And, I was able to use my new banner for the first time!

A big thank you to all who stopped by to visit, have a chat and take home something sparkly!

What color should we paint our front door? dark red...

As some of you know, we've been under construction at the cottage for just over two years... and the time has FINALLY come to paint our front door! YAYYYYY! The cottage is shingled with a black roof and we've just finished painting the whole house with a medium gray semi-transparent stain (you can see the woodgrain through it) and the trim with a beautiful, fresh and clean white. I've been back and forth about the color for the front door-- dark red or mustard yellow. Here are some lovelies available on Etsy that may sway me...can you help me decide?

1. Red and Gray Bud Vase/Weed Pot, by etcArts

2. Felt Coasters in Red and Gray Wool, by fuzzylogicfelt

3. Slate...1 Pom, by PomLove

4. Charcoal Grey Recycled Sweater Purse, by herions1

5. Picture Frames Black Red Gray, by MountainCoveAntiques

6. Just a Sparrow in the Air Cushion, by randomretail

7. 16" Designer Pillow Red Flower Charcoal Gray Linen, by JillianReneDecor

or mustard yellow?

1. Vegan Recycled Journal in Lemon, by NaturesCubbyhole

2. Charcoal and Mustard Yellow Purse, by bymytouch

3. Mustard Felt Flower Dahlia Brooch, by HeartfeltYarnWreaths

4. Charcoal Mod Poppy Pod Original Paintings, by jenkennedydesigns

5. 12 Felted Wool Pebbles, by Smika

6. Balsam Sachets Set of 4, by bstudio

7. Potent Shawl Pin, by ThatBluCat

Finally-- a banner for my booth!

I've been doing craft shows for several years and have always wanted a professional banner for my booth...and I finally had one made! It's first adventure is next weekend at the Fredericton Fall Craft Show at the Capital Exhibit Center here in town -- I can't wait to set everything up!

New Rustic Hammered Hoops

...you know how much I love metal, especially rustic-distressed-organic-industrial metals. Wire is one of my favorite mediums to achieve this look and I've been playing with some new tools - particularly a mandrel and rawhide hammer that allow me to shape heavier gauge wire with ease. I've begun with some simple hoops using a piece of 16 gauge sterling I had on hand -- after filing and sanding one end to taper the wire, I shaped the circles using the mandrel and soft hammer - how fun! Hammering for texture and strength came next and then oxidizing and polishing for shine-- not bad for a beginner!

sunflower challenged...

"The sunflower is mine, in a way."

~ Vincent van Gogh

I'm inspired by sunflowers-- their huge, bold faces turned into the sun. I've imagined in my garden, long curves of their yellow heads bobbing in the autumn sunshine and birds happily feeding on the abundance of seeds in their golden centers.

...many spring mornings have found me in my garden, planting the seeds with this vision dancing in my imagination. I can see myself cutting huge armfuls for bouquets, and walking among, towering over my head in all shades of golden yellow, cinnamon browns and warm orange reds.

"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows. That's what sunflowers do." ~ Helen Keller

Alas... hehehehe... I hate to admit how many sorry little patches of short, withered-looking little sunflowers I've 'grown' -- I tell myself it's the soil (yeah, that's it), but I suspect it's me! So, every autumn, I head to the flower market (several times) to get my sunflowers! This morning, they were smiling happily at me from the kitchen windowsill as I made the coffee. I couldn't resist a few photos in the Saturday morning sunshine...I didn't even plant any seeds this year! Enjoy your morning...

karon xo

I LOVE this Orange Bug!!!

'feeling groovy!'...such a fabulous photo of this cute little bug-- and the color is so hip! It's everywhere I look on Etsy this week and inspired me to do a quick search for other orange beetles. Check out what I found-- I'm overwhelmed with groovy delight :)

Orange Bug, leedledee

Summer of Love, cottagelight studio

Peace Bug Color, DBrenderPhotography

Headlight, GigglingGnome

New for Autumn 2011 at Wild Woman Jewelry!

"By all these lovely tokens September days are here,

With summer's best of weather

And autumn's best of cheer."

~ Helen Hunt Jackson

It's beautiful today and I can feel autumn in the air- a fresh breeze, bright sunlight and changing leaves. I've been a blog slug this summer, spending lots of time with family and friends, mostly at the lake. It's been a blast! And now, it's time to get back to work!!! I've been inspired by the ambers, reds and autmun color in the trees along the river -- here a few new pieces in the shop for fall.

Garnet Red Glass Earrings, Mercurial

Amber Glass Earrings, Amber Sky

Amber Glass Necklace, September Morn